Snap lock plier-type wrench



Aug. 30, 1955 H. D. COOK ET AL SNAP LOCK PLIER- TYPE WRENCH INVENTORS Herber'z D. Coo/ 6 BY f/s/e P. Coo/Y ATTORNEY? n a a IIIIIIIII j Filed May 22, 1955 s awa /pm Mam United States Patent SNAP LOCK PLIER-TYPE WRENCH Herbert D. Cook and Elsie P. Cook, Worthington, Ind.

Application May 22, 1953, Serial No.356,682

6 Claims. (Cl. 81-84) This invention relates to wrenches, and more particularly, has reference to a plier-type wrench wherein a wedging means is employed to bias pivotally connected jaw assemblies into engagement with a workpiece, the construction further including a toggle type lock mechanism, movable beyond a dead center when the jaws are engaged with the workpiece, thus to lock the jaws to said workpiece.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a construction wherein the adjustments can be effected with maximum speed and ease.

Another important object is to provide a wrench formation wherein the locking means will be possessed of a great amount of power, thus to insure that the work will be securely gripped by the jaws.

Still another object is to provide a wrench construction wherein means is carried by one of the jaw assemblies, that will be effective to hold the toggle locking mechanism against movement through a dead center, thus to facilitate the use of the device purely as a set of pliers.

Another object of importance is to provide, in association with the wedging means employed for the purpose of biasing the jaw assemblies into engagement with a workpiece, a locking shank for said wedging means, which shank can be bodily shifted to selected positions of adjustment, in the direction of its length, thereby to insure the movement of the jaw assemblies into engagement with the work in minimum time.

Another object of importance is to provide, on the shank used in association with the wedging means, thread segments alternating with smooth areas, one of the jaw assemblies having an opening formed correspondingly to the shank, through which opening the shank will be extended, the shank being freely shiftable in the direction of its length within said opening when rotatably adjusted to one position, and being threadedly engaged with said opening when rotatably adjusted to another position, thereby to hold the wedging means in the selected position of adjustment. I

Another object of importance is to provide a wrench construction as described wherein the shank used for adjusting the wedging means to selected positions will have a radial handle associated therewith, whereby to facilitate shifting of the shank to a selected position of adjustment, the jaw assembly on which the shank is mounted having calibrations adjacent said handle, thereby to allow the handle to be registered with a selected calibration when the jaw is engaged with the work, this arrangement being particularly well adapted to facilitate the initial setting of the jaws in a desired, spaced relationship.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters, designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a with the present from t e left Figure is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale,"

taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1. I

The reference numeral 10 has been appliedgenerally' to a first jaw assembly, said jaw assemblyconsti'tuting a frame having a channeled handle 12 at one end; At its inner end, the channeled handle 12'merges int'o. transversely spaced, parallel side walls 14, said 'side'walls' being connected along one edge by a bottom wall 16- and being connected along their other edge by a top wall 18. By reason of the provision of the side'walls'14,= bottom wall 16, and top wall 18, the frame will be pro-- vided, as will be readily apparent, with a hollow portion of rectangular cross section intermediate oppositeen'ds handle merging into said hollow portion. v t

As will be noted from Figure 1, the wall 16 is integrally formed, at its front end, with a curved, upwardly ex-. tending lip 20, and supported by said lip is a fixed jaw' insert 22, the insert 22 being held in place by rivets 24 extending between the side walls 14.. The insert 22, along one surface, has work engaging teeth, said teeth being faced upwardly so as to oppose similar teeth formed upon, the work-gripping jaw of a second jaw assembly designated generally by the reference numeral 26. The jaw assembly 26 has a solid body 28 extending within the hollow portion of the frame, said body 28 being integrallyi formed, at its front end, with an upwardly offset portion 30 merging into a forwardly projected movable jaw 32;

Jaw 32 opposes jaw insert- 22, and has teeth faced downwardly, thus to cooperate with the teeth of the fixed jaw in securely gripping apiece of work, not shown.

As shown in Figure 3, the jaw 32 is enclosed between side plates34 of the movable jaw assembly, rivets 36 being extended through said side plates and through i the jaw 32.

On the inner end of the body 28, we provide an.en..- largement 38, having a transverse slot 40 through which extends a pivot pin 42 carried by and extending between the side walls 14 of the frame. A bifurcated extension 44 is integrally formed upon the body 28, at that side of the handle underlying the handle 12. A leaf spring 56 is anchored at one end to the bottom wall 16 of the frame, the other end of said leaf spring engaging against the underside of body 28. By reason of this arrangement, the spring 56 tends to bias the body 28 in a direction away from the fixed jaw 22, that is, out of engagement with a piece of work.

Fixedly mounted upon the frame, at that end of top wall 18 remote from jaw 32, is a plate 58 having a center opening 60. Opening .60 is formed with thread'segmcnts alternating with smooth areas, circumferentially of the opening. A shank 62 extends within said opening,- and at one end, has a circular foot 64 rotatably engaged in a complementary recess formed in a wedge 68, said recess being designated by the reference numeral 70. That end of the shank 62 remote from the wedge has a handle 66, the'handle 66 extending'radially of the shank and being disposed exteriorly of the hollow portion of the frame.

The shank 62 has thread segments alternating circumferentially thereof with smooth surfaces, this arrangement being carried out throughout the length of the shank. By reason of this construction, it will be seen that the shank 6'2 can be :partially rotated toone position within opening 60 in which the shank is freed to move in the direction of its length within said opening. In each position to which the shank is so shifted, the shank can be partially rotated to another position in which its thread segments will be engaged with the thread segments of the opening, thus to hold the shank in the position to which it was longitudinally adjusted within the opening.

Formed upon the body 28 is an inclined surface 72, the surface 72 and the inner surface of the top wall converging in a direction away from the jaws 22, 32. This construction causes the jaws to be biased toward one another, if the wedge 68 is shifted from the position shown in Figure 1, toward the convergent ends of the wedgeengaged surfaces. The handle 66 and shank 62, of course, are employed for the purpose of shifting the wedge in opposite directions, and it is thus readily seen that the design permits the jaws to be swiftly engaged with a piece of work, regardless of the thickness of said work.

Means is embodied in the channeled handle 12, that holds the bell crank and link 48 from moving beyond the dead center. Said means includes an ear 74 formed integrally upon one side wall of the channeled handle 12, and extending transversely across the space betweensaid side walls of the handle. The car 74 has a threaded opening in which is engaged the shank of a wing bolt 76, a spring 78 being coiled about the wing bolt and being held under compression between the winged head of the bolt and the car 74. This construction causes the wing bolt to be securely retained in selected positions to which it is threadedly adjusted.

When the winged head of the bolt 76 is positioned as in Figure 1, it is extended in parallelism with the handle of the bell crank 52. As a result, it will move into the elongated handle portion of the bell crank, allowing the bell crank to be shifted through a dead center.

When, however, the wing bolt 76 is adjusted rotatably throughninety degrees from the position thereof shown in Figure 1, the winged head will be disposed transversely of the handle of the bell crank, and will hold the bell crank against movement through said dead center. In this position of the wing bolt, the device can be used as a conventional pliers, since it will not lock to the work when the bell crank and handle 12 are grasped and shifted toward one another to their maximum extent.

As shown in Figure 1, the frame of the device is marked, intermediate its ends, with a longitudinal series of calibrations 80, said calibrations or scale markings being disposed adjacent handle 66. Therefore, the handle 66 can be pulled outwardly in a direction away from plate 58, so as to be registered with a selected calibration. Thereafter, the handle can be rotatably adjusted, to hold the wedge in the selected position to which it is adjusted. This construction facilitates the grasping of successive workpieces, equal to one another in thickness. The arrangement causes the jaws to be immediately adjusted to a selected, spaced relationship, with a minimum expenditure of time and effort.

In use of the device, it will be understood that the handle 66 would first be grasped and pulled in a direction away from the jaws 22, 32. This will cause the wedge 68 to bias the jaw assemblies into engagement with the work. When the jaws have been engaged with the work, the handle 66 is swung to partially rotate shank 62, the shank 62 thus being brought into threaded engagement with plate 58, thereby to hold the wedge 68 in the selected position of adjustment.

To lock the jaws to the work, one need only now grasp the handles of the device, defined by channeled handle 12 and the elongated portion of bell crank 52, and exert a squeezing action thereupon. This causes the handles tobe swung toward one another, and the pivotal connection 50 will thus be caused to swing through a dead center, beyond an imaginary line drawn between pivot points 46, 54. A snap lock action thus results, that securely engages the jaws tightly against the work, and prevents the jaws from releasing their grip upon the work.

Of course, if it is desired that the device be simply used as a pliers, without creating the locking action, the wing bolt 76 would be adjusted through ninety degrees from the position shown in Figure 1, so as to be disposed astride the handle of the bell crank.

It is to be observed that the bell crank 52 and link 48 cooperate to define a toggle, so that the snap-locking action is, in its final analysis, a toggle-type lock mechanism, with one of the toggle linksbeing integrally formed with an elongated handle that facilitates actuation of the toggle to and from its locking position.

The invention is further characterized by the ease of assembly thereof. The frame is, of course, completely hollow, andcan be fashioned out of sheet steel or the like. The movable jaw assembly 26 can then be slipped into one end'of the frame, thereby to permit the manufacture of the device to be carried out with ease and at low cost.

It is also to be noted that the construction is such as to cause the toothed surfaces of the jaws to be nearly parallel to one another, in each position to which the jaws are adjusted, thus to insure that a proper grip will be held upon a piece of work disposed therebetween.

It is also thought to be of importance, in connection with the wing bolt 76, that the wing bolt could be threaded inwardly to such an extent as to permit the handle of the bell crank to be moved toward channeled handle 12 a distance sufiicient to cause the locking action to be set up, even though the winged head of bolt 76 should be disposed transversely of the handle of the bell crank. In this inwardly threaded position of the wing bolt, the wing bolt serves to'hold the bell crank against movement beyond a dead center to an excessive extent,

Under other conditions, the wing bolt would be threaded outwardly to-a selected position, so as to hold the toggle mechanism against movement through a dead center.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not neces sarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof dc.- scribed above, since it maybe utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is onlyintended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means.

presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the app nded claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A snap lock, plier-type wrench comprising: pivotally connected first and second jaw assemblies having spaced, converging surfaces and having a wedge disposed between said surfaces, said wedge being adjustable .toward the convergent ends of said surfaces and being adapted when so adjusted to bias the jaw assemblies into gripping engagement with a workpiece; and means for holding the wedge in selected positions to which. the same is adjusted.

2. A snap lock, plier-type wrench comprising: pivotally connected first and second jaw assemblies having spaced, converging surfaces and having a wedge disposed between said surfaces, said wedge being adjustable toward the convergent ends of said surfaces and being adapted when so adjusted to bias the jaw assemblies into gripping engagement with a workpiece; and means for holding the wedge in selected positions to which the same is adjusted, said means including a shank swivelly connected to the wedge and having thread segments alternating circumferentially thereof with smooth areas, one

of said jaw assemblies having an opening the edge or which is similarly formed with thread segments alternating with smooth areas, said shank being freely shiftable in the direction of its length within said opening and being rotatable in selected positions to which it is so shifted, so as to engage the thread segments of the opening and shank and thereby hold the wedge in the selected position of adjustment.

3. A snap lock, plier-type wrench comprising: pivotally connected first and second jaw assemblies having spaced, converging surfaces and having a wedge disposed between said surfaces, said wedge being adjustable toward the convergent ends of said surfaces and being adapted when so adjusted to bias the jaw assemblies into gripping engagement with a workpiece; and means for holding the wedge in selected positions to which the same is adjusted, said means including a shank swivelly connected to the wedge and having thread segments alternating circumferentially thereof with smooth areas, one of said jaw assemblies having an opening the edge of which is similarly formed with thread segments alternating with smooth areas, said shank being freely shiftable in the direction of its length within said opening and being rotatable in selected positions to which it is so shifted, so as to engage the thread segments of the opening and shank and thereby hold the wedge in the selected position of adjustment, said means further including a handle secured to and rotatable with the shank, said handle extending radially of the shank, the jaw assembly having said opening being formed with calibrations adjacent said handle, the handle being registrable with a selected calibration to provide a gauge as to the thickness of the gripped workpiece.

4. A snap lock, plier-type wrench comprising: pivotally connected first and second jaw assemblies; wedge means interposed between the jaw assemblies and arranged to shift the jaw assemblies into engagement with a piece of work; and means for lockingly engaging the jaw assemblies with said work, said last-named means including a bell crank pivotally mounted on one of the jaw assemblies and a link connected between the bell crank and the other jaw assembly, said bell crank and link being adjustable through a dead center to lock the jaw assemblies in engagement with said workpiece.

5. A snap lock, plier-type wrench comprising: pivotally connected first and second jaw assemblies; wedge means interposed between the jaw assemblies and arranged to shift the jaw assemblies into engagement with a piece of work; and means for lockingly engaging the jaw assemblies with said work, said last-named means including a bell crank pivotally mounted on one of the jaw assemblies and a link connected between the bell crank and the other jaw assembly, said bell crank and link being adjustable through a dead center to lock the jaw assemblies in engagement with' said workpiece, said one jaw assembly having a wing bolt threadedly engaged therein in the path of said bell crank, said wing bolt being adapted, when rotated to one position, for holding the bell crank against movement beyond said dead center, the wing bolt being adapted, when in another selected position of rotary adjustment, to free the bell crank for movement through said dead center.

6. A snap lock, pliertype wrench comprising: pivotally connected first and second jaw assemblies, one of said jaw assemblies being formed as a rigid frame having a jaw at one end and a handle at its other end, said frame having a hollow portion intermediate its ends, the other jaw assembly having a jaw opposing the first-named jaw, said other jaw assembly being pivotally mounted upon the frame and having a surface extending within said hollow portion and inclined out of parallelism with the opposing wall of the hollow portion; a wedge mounted References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 761,798 Walden June 7, 1904 864,607 Breckel Aug. 27, 1907 2,201,918 Petersen May 21, 1940 2,531,285 Mauspeaken Nov. 21, 1950 2,533,817 Koskinen Dec. 12, 1950 2,561,682 Barnett July 24, 1951 2,587,673 Aden Mar. 4, 1952 2,589,511 Redman Mar. 18, 1952 

